Devils and Angels
by The Monster in your Dreams
Summary: When 12 year old Kaoru Kamiya was kidnapped, the case went cold. 6 years later, Lt. Kenshin Himura and Detective Soujiro Seta recieve some disturbing photos, and a note: 'She will remain chained here as the water rises. Can you find her in time? '
1. Chapter 1

Devils and Angels  
  
By the Monster in your Dreams  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own. Just a note: I know the genre says drama/mystery, but hopefully there will also be some light comedy. It also may become a little bit of a thriller towards the end.   
  
**************************  
  
Lieutenant Kenshin Himura walked up the stairs to his partner's apartment. He had tried to call, but apparently the detective's phone was off the hook. Either that or he was on the internet. He stopped in front of the door and paused, glancing at his watch. He knew Detective Soujiro Seta would not want to be bothered this late, but there was something he had to see.   
  
Kenshin took a deep breath and glanced down at the envelope in his hand before knocking.   
  
No answer.   
  
He tried knocking again.  
  
Finally he heard some commotion on the other side of the door, and a woman's voice. After a few more seconds, the door cracked open.  
  
"Hello, Lieutenant Himura. I assume you want to talk to my husband?"  
  
Kenshin nodded. "Yes Yumi, thank you."  
  
She smiled and nodded and left the door open as she walked in to the back bedroom. Kenshin pushed the door open a little further and stepped inside. He heard a door creak to his left and turned, watching as his partner walked toward him, yawning and pulling a robe on.   
  
"What?" Was all Detective Seta asked.   
  
Kenshin held up the envelope. Soujiro looked at it for a moment before grabbing it and pulling the contents out.   
  
Six black and white photos of a young Asian woman, probably around sixteen or seventeen, completely nude, chained to old, rusted pipes in what appeared to be a very tiny space, knee deep in water. Her emotionless eyes stared straight into the camera. He flipped through the photographs, then noticed the small slip of paper. Type-written, all it said was: 'She will be chained here as the water level rises. Can you find her in time?'  
  
"Do you recognize her?" Kenshin asked.  
  
Soujiro shook his head. "She looks familiar, but I can't place her."   
  
"Her name is Kaoru Kamiya. She was kidnapped six years ago, but there weren't any leads. The case turned cold."  
  
Soujiro nodded. "I'll have to pull my notes. Did you get these dusted?" He held up the photos.  
  
Kenshin nodded. "Yes, but apparently whoever sent them wore gloves. No prints."   
  
Soujiro sighed and glanced at the clock. He stuffed the pictures back into the envelope and handed the envelope back to Kenshin. "I'll pull my notes. Maybe we should have those enlarged..."  
  
"Already did. The enlargements are down at the office."  
  
"Alright. I'll meet you down there."  
  
Kenshin nodded and walked toward the door, Soujiro headed back to the bedroom.   
  
"I'm sorry honey, but I'm gonna have to go down to office." Kenshin heard Soujiro tell Yumi. He smiled. He couldn't even count all the times he had said that to his Megumi. At first she got angry. After a while she had just stopped caring. He sighed as he stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind him.  
  
"What is it this time?" Yumi asked.  
  
"An old case. Never was solved. Someone just sent us pictures." Really disturbing pictures. "We might finally be able to close the case."   
  
Yumi smiled. "I hope you can."   
  
Soujiro turned back toward her as he buttoned his shirt. "I hope we can, too." He walked over to where she was stretched out on their bed and gave her a kiss, which she returned passionately. Everyone had said that their marriage wouldn't work because Yumi was eight years older than him. So far, four years of happiness had proved everyone wrong.   
  
"I got to go." Soujiro said as he reluctantly pulled away.  
  
***  
  
Kenshin leaned against the wall, watching as his partner looked through one of his many file cabinets for the old case file.   
  
"Ah ha!" Soujiro finally shouted as he pulled out a two inch thick file folder, spun around in his chair, and threw the file on his desk, where he proceeded to flip it open and begin to pin the contents up on the surrounding cubicle walls.  
  
"You know, it might be easier to do this in my office. There would be more room in there."  
  
Soujiro gave a little shrug. "Here is fine."  
  
The majority of the file seemed to be made up of Soujiro's notes. Some were tiny little scraps that looked like they were once the corner of a napkin; some only had one word, or perhaps a name on them; others more detailed and on larger scraps of paper. Kenshin walked forward with his own folder, much thinner by comparison, mostly because his notes had been condensed onto a typewritten page printed off of his computer. Soujiro proceeded to tack up the contents of that file as well.   
  
"Alright. What we knew then..." Soujiro began as he stood and looked at all the things tacked on the walls of the cubicle. "She never came home from school. We interviewed everyone at her school, and they all saw her leave. They said she usually walked home. Usually she walked with a friend but that day the friend was home sick. We were told what path she usually took home, and we interviewed people along the street..." He walked over to the map, and pointed out the path Kenshin. "...Everyone we interviewed said the had seen her, as they did every day when she walked home from school. They said they didn't see anyone with her, and saw nothing suspicious. Everyone, that is, until Bay Street. After the corner of Bay and Coral, no one saw her."   
  
Kenshin nodded. "And we interviewed everyone at the corner, and no one had seen or head anything unusual. We hit a dead end."  
  
Soujiro nodded.  
  
"And we don't know much else now..." Kenshin continued. "...The same man probably has her..."  
  
"Or woman." Quipped Soujiro.  
  
Kenshin nodded. "Right, that's a possibility, but judging by the photos, it's more likely to be a man. She's still alive for now...but it says that the water level is rising. We have no idea how fast it is rising. We really don't even know when the photos were taken, we just know, by the postmark, that they were mailed yesterday. But she would be seventeen now, and she looks about that age in the photos, so they were probably taken rather recently. The question is, where were they taken?"   
  
Soujiro walked over to the enlargements, studying them. "A basement?"  
  
Kenshin shook his head. "Too many pipes."  
  
"A factory, perhaps? But I don't think they would be that rusted."  
  
"We could run them through the computer system, see if anything turns up."   
  
Soujiro nodded and glanced at his watch. "The computer specialist won't be in till tomorrow afternoon."   
  
Kenshin nodded. "Yeah, around one thirty. I could probably talk her into running these through first. First thing in the morning we could try interviewing the people on the corner again."  
  
"After six years their memories are going to be rather rusty."  
  
"I know, but it doesn't hurt to try."   
  
***  
  
The interviews were disappointing. One woman said she couldn't even remember what she had for dinner last night, let alone what happened on a specific day six years ago.   
  
"We should talk to the family again." Soujiro said as they drove back to the station. "See if there was anyone who had made any sort of a threat..."  
  
"She didn't have family. Well, not a real family anyway. She was an orphan and was placed with foster parents."   
  
"Well, it still wouldn't hurt to talk with them. Talk with her social worker, too."   
  
Kenshin nodded and glanced at his watch. "We might be able to swing by and chat with the social worker before lunch. I don't remember the names of the foster parents off hand, but the worker could tell us. We could try them afterward."   
  
***  
  
Kenshin walked forward and showed the unassuming African-American woman his badge.  
  
"I'm Lieutenant Himura, and this is my partner, Detective Seta. We'd like to ask you a few questions regarding a girl by the name of Kaoru Kamiya."   
  
She smiled. "My name is Tara Anderson, and I'd be glad to help in any way I can. I remember the girl quite well. Beautiful smile. She was kidnapped, right?"   
  
Kenshin nodded. "I don't suppose there were any...disputes, of any sort, involving her?"   
  
Tara thought for a moment. "Not that I recall...just a moment, let me pull her file." She stood and walked over to a file cabinet, returning after a moment with a thin file. She flipped it open and glanced at the contents. "No...but there was a few problems with the foster parents..."  
  
"What kind of problems?" Asked Soujiro.  
  
"Uh...she said there was a man, a friend of the family, or a distant relative, she really didn't make it too plain, that stopped by frequently. She said she felt very uncomfortable around him."  
  
"Did you do anything about it?' Kenshin asked.  
  
She shook her head. "We can't do anything just because she felt uncomfortable. There will be people all your life that you will feel uncomfortable around, you just have to deal with it. Now, if she had been more specific, if she had said that maybe he touched her improperly or something of that nature, we would have immediately pulled her from that home."   
  
"Did you talk with the parents?" Soujiro asked.  
  
"Yes. They said they had no idea what she was talking about."   
  
"Did she give a name?"   
  
"No."  
  
The men frowned. "Could we have the foster parents name and address?" Kenshin asked.   
  
She nodded and wrote them down, handing the slip of paper to him.   
  
Kenshin smiled. "Well, thank you very much for your time."   
  
"I wish I could be more help."   
  
Kenshin stood to leave, but Soujiro had one more question. "I don't suppose we could have a copy of her file?"  
  
"No, sorry but it's confidential. You would have to have a warrant."  
  
He smiled and nodded. "That's what I thought. Thank you."   
  
He turned to the lieutenant as they walked out. "Now to the parents?"  
  
"Yup. They're our last lead. Let's hope they tell us something."   
  
********************************************************  
  
Alright, well folks, what do you think? I know its, um...different, at best. I'm hoping to turn it into a series.   
  
The next chapters should be coming rather quickly. This is one of the few stories I've started where I actually know where I'm going with the plot. Let me know what you think! lol  
  
~The Monster~ ^_^ 


	2. Chapter 2

*Grins Giddily* Thank you for all your reviews! lol I'm so glad y'all like this little ficcie. Anyways, just thought y'all might be interested to know that I got the inspiration for this fic from the music video for No Doubt's song Hella Good. ^_^  
  
Cant see the connection between this story and Hella Good? Wait till the end. ~_^  
  
********************************  
  
Devils and Angels  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Lieutenant Himura and Detective Seta walked into the Montery Police Department. They had no luck with the foster parents: They weren't home, so Kenshin left his card on the door.   
  
"Lieutenant! Detective!" Officer Kamatari Honjo came running up to them, an envelope in his hand. "This came in the mail today, addressed to both of you."  
  
Kenshin took the envelope-no return address, he noted, and postmarked early that morning- and opened it. Inside was another single typewritten slip of paper.  
  
'She will die on Thursday. You need to start working harder, my friends.'  
  
"Today is Monday. We have less than three days." Kenshin mumbled as he stuffed the paper back into the envelope.   
  
"Did you ever contact that computer expert?"  
  
Kenshin nodded. "She said she would give me a call when the results came in. Let me go check my messages, see if she called."   
  
***  
  
When Kenshin walked back out of his office hours later, Soujiro was sitting at his desk, staring at the computer screen, tapping a pen nervously. Kenshin had a feeling that, had he looked behind the desk, he would be tapping his foot, too.   
  
"Has anyone ever told you you're neurotic?"   
  
Soujiro nodded. "Yes. My Yumi. She says it a lot. What about the pictures?"  
  
"No matches."   
  
Soujiro shook his head. "Damn."  
  
Kenshin glanced at his watch. It was late. There was nothing more they could do tonight. Kenshin sighed. "Soujiro, go home. There's nothing more we can do tonight. Get a good night's sleep, get your mind off of this. Maybe it would help us think better tomorrow."  
  
Soujiro looked up, slightly surprised. But his lieutenant was right.   
  
All he did was nod in response.   
  
***   
  
Kenshin stumbled in the door to his home. There were wonderful smells emanating from the kitchen, and as he walked in that direction, he could see his two children at the table, eating. Megumi was running around, as usual, trying to get ready for work after she had fixed dinner.   
  
Kenshin walked over to the stove: Megumi was putting a baking dish in the fridge.   
  
"It smells good." Kenshin said.   
  
"Everything is on the stove, breakfast is in the fridge." She said quickly as she shut the refrigerator door and hurried past Kenshin.   
  
"Thank you."  
  
Megumi stopped and turned around. It wasn't every day her husband told her 'Thank you' for fixing dinner.   
  
"Your welcome."  
  
Kenshin smiled as Megumi hurried into the bedroom, trying to find her shoes. He glanced over to the table, where his nine-year-old son Kenji and sixteen-year-old daughter Misao sat eating dinner, both blissfully unaware of their surroundings. Misao had headphones on, attached to a portable CD player, the CD inside was blaring so loud Kenshin could hear the music from where he was standing; Kenji was trying to scarf down the food while playing a hand-held video game.   
  
"I probably wont be back till late." Megumi said as she pulled a coat on and grabbed her purse. Late meant around eight in the morning. Kenshin sighed.   
  
"Alright."   
  
With not an 'I love you', or even a 'Goodbye', she rushed out the door.   
  
***  
  
Soujiro walked into his apartment to be greeted by the sight of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen stretched out on the couch, wrapped loosely in a robe (and nothing else), watching TV.   
  
She looked up and smiled when he came in. "You're home earlier than I expected. Have you had dinner?"   
  
He shook his head as he took off his coat and boots and shuffled over to the couch.   
  
"Would you like me to fix you some?"  
  
He smiled. "No, it's alright, I'm not very hungry. But thank you."   
  
Yumi sat up as Soujiro sat down. Doing so made one side of the robe slip down off of her shoulder, revealing part of her breast. Soujiro smiled and blushed as Yumi wrapped her arms around him and began nibbling his ear.   
  
"So how is the case going?" She asked between nibbles.   
  
"We hit a dead end. Again."  
  
"Aww...I'm sorry baby." She scooted closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her waist.   
  
Maybe getting his mind of the case would be best, after all.   
  
***  
  
"It's nine-thirty." Yumi whispered into Soujiro's ear in a singsong voice.   
  
Soujiro's eyes flew open as he jumped up and looked at the clock. He sighed, flopped back down on the bed and glared at the grinning Yumi. It was only five thirty.   
  
"I wish you would stop doing that."  
  
She giggled and snuggled up closer to him. "It's the only way I can wake you up."  
  
"Mmm." He didn't really mind it all that much, considering that the reason she did it was because she wanted to 'Cuddle'...and maybe a little something extra.   
  
"When do you have to be at work?" She asked.  
  
"Nine."  
  
She grinned and kissed him. "That gives us three hours."   
  
***  
  
"You're smiling like the cat who swallowed the canary. What were you up to last night?"   
  
Kenshin asked when Soujiro walked into the station the next morning.   
  
Soujiro cleared his throat and tried his best to stop smiling. "Um...nothing."   
  
This resulted in only making him smile broader and chuckle to himself. Kenshin rolled his eyes.   
  
"Well, the parents called. They had been away on vacation, just got home last night. I'm going down to interview them, are you coming?"  
  
Soujiro gulped down an entire cup of coffee, then nodded. "Yup. Coming."   
  
***  
  
The house stood at the end of the street, right by the bay. It was medium-sized, with a small front yard. The sides needed repainting, and it was obvious the 'Lawn' had not been tended to for quite some time.   
  
Kenshin and Soujiro cautiously walked up the dilapidated steps and knocked on the front door.   
  
All was silent. Somewhere off in the distance, a dog barked.   
  
"This is creepy." Soujiro muttered. In his mind, Kenshin agreed, but did not say anything.   
  
Kenshin knocked again.   
  
They waited.  
  
"Well, I guess they aren't home." Kenshin said.   
  
Soujiro sighed in relief. They turned and had begun to walk away then they heard some noise behind them, and turned back around just in time to see the door slowly open.   
  
Kenshin took a deep breath for courage and cleared his throat as he walked back to the door where an unusual looking man with white hair and sunglasses was standing.  
  
"Enishi Yukishiro?"   
  
The man nodded.  
  
Kenshin took out his badge. "I'm Lieutenant Himura, this is my partner, Detective Seta."  
  
Enishi reached out and took the badge, studying it closely for a moment, then looked up at Soujiro.  
  
"Let's see yours." He said.  
  
Soujiro began rooting around in his pockets, and finally found his badge. Enishi took it and compared the two.  
  
All was silent.   
  
Finally Enishi was apparently satisfied, and handed the badges back to the two men.   
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Uh, we would like to ask you a few questions..." Kenshin answered.  
  
"What about?"  
  
"Kaoru Kamiya. She was a foster child you and your wife cared for a few years back..."  
  
"I know who she is. What do you want to know?"  
  
"Um, well, may we come in?"   
  
"No."   
  
Kenshin sighed. "Alright. Is your wife home?"  
  
"Tomoe is dead."  
  
"Oh...I'm...I'm sorry to hear that. But a woman called me..."  
  
"A friend." Enishi answered all too quickly.  
  
The woman on his message machine identified herself as Tomoe. Kenshin hesitated. "The house could use some new paint, don't you think?"   
  
"We've been gone for the past six years."   
  
"We?"  
  
"A friend and I."   
  
Soujiro rolled his eyes. This was very strange. "I see." Said Kenshin. "May I ask, when did Tomoe die?"  
  
"None of your business. Are we done here lieutenant?"   
  
Kenshin thought for a moment. So much for asking him questions about Kaoru. Even if he did ask, he couldn't trust the man's answers after what he had said about Tomoe.   
  
"Yes. Were done here."   
  
Kenshin and Soujiro turned and headed back to the car. "There's something strange going on here." Soujiro said quietly and glanced back over his shoulder at the man who was still leaning by the closed door, watching them leave.   
  
Kenshin nodded but didn't say anything as he got into the car. Soujiro did the same.   
  
"Were going to run both Tomoe and Enishi Yukishiro through the system, see what pops up." Kenshin said as they drove back to the precinct.   
  
Soujiro nodded.  
  
"The woman who called me back identified herself as Tomoe. Someone there is lying."  
  
Soujiro looked at the lieutenant, then back out his window. "I sure would have liked to have seen inside that house."  
  
"Same here." Kenshin thought about it some more. "The woman who called also said that they had been away on vacation. This man just said they had been gone for the past six years. No one goes on vacation for six years."  
  
"Six years ago is also when Kaoru disappeared." Soujiro quipped.   
  
Kenshin shook his head. "There has got to be a connection."   
  
Soujiro nodded. "We just have to find it."   
  
*******************************************  
  
You like the silence with the dog barking off in the distance? lol I got it off of a Far Side calendar. lol ~_^  
  
I've never understood why Yumi loves Shishio when she has Soujiro right in front of her. Why on earth would she be interested in that shriveled up old mummy? I just want to grab her by her shoulders and shake her, while asking "WHY?????" (Okay, okay, that's more like screaming than asking.) 


	3. Chapter 3

lol I'm so glad Y'all like this fic. I guess all the Law and Order I watch finally came in handy lol. ^_^  
  
Kitsune KeNsHiN: Eh? Are the pairings going to be this way in the end? *clears throat* well, I'm honestly not sure. I seem to have changed the ending three times in the past 48 hours, so I really don't know. But, yes, I am pretty settled on the Yumi/Soujiro Pairing. I don't know why I like it so much. As far as the Kenshin/Megumi pairing goes, well, I guess you'll just have to read the sequel to find out. I am indeed aware that they are odd (not to mention OOC) but oh well. (I really like the Soujiro/Yumi pairing. You can blame the other, though, on my split personality and her cousin. Her cousin is the one who planted the idea in my head. Actually, it was my split personality's head, but she didn't like the idea much so she passed it on to me. ^_^)  
  
Ochanoko: Well...after all the twists this chapter has been through, *I'm* not even sure who's lying! (that's pretty bad when the author doesn't even know) Thanks for your review! ^_^  
  
The-Lone-Lemon: lol Thanks. I'm glad you like it. Yeah, they are cute together, aren't they? lol ~_^  
  
***  
  
Devils and Angels  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Kenshin walked around behind Soujiro to see over his shoulder at the computer screen.   
  
"Alright, Tomoe Yukishiro did, in fact, die..." Soujiro looked closer, quite surprised. "...on the same day that Kaoru disappeared. It was handled by..." He hit a few keys, making the screen scroll down. "...Okita Shoushi...isn't that Captain Hajime's friend over in Vallejo?"   
  
Kenshin nodded.   
  
"Well, apparently she died in a fire. It was listed as an accident."   
  
Kenshin nodded. "What do you got on Enishi?"   
  
"No priors. I can't access his juvenile records, which makes me think he did something when he was a kid. We need to figure out who called you. I know a guy in forensics who is really good with voice analysis and comparison...I've got a hunch. Social Services tapes all their interviews, right?"  
  
Kenshin nodded. "Yeah, why?"  
  
"And do you still have the message the woman left?"  
  
Kenshin nodded.   
  
"Well, lets see if we can get the tapes of the interviews with both Tomoe and Kaoru. Then we'll have their voices compared to the one on the message. I could be wrong, but we'll see..."   
  
***  
  
Soujiro walked into Kenshin's office and threw the results down on his desk. Kenshin looked up with a raised eyebrow, then reached out and picked up the folder, flipping it open. He was a bit worried, if Soujiro's pale face and anxious expression were any clues as to the results.   
  
He took a deep breath and looked at the results.   
  
"KAORU IS THE ONE WHO CALLED ME????"   
  
Soujiro nodded. "My hunch was right. This means that Enishi has to be the one who has her...it also means that she is probably not chained there day in day out like we thought. Either that or Enishi held the phone up to her and told her what to say."   
  
Kenshin shook his head. "I can't believe it."   
  
"Neither could I at first. But Gregg ran the comparison three times...there was no way it could be anyone else. Kaoru apparently has a distinctive way of talking."   
  
Kenshin sighed. "Do you think we have enough for a warrant?"  
  
"I think so."  
  
***  
  
For the second time that day, Soujiro and Kenshin stood in front of the dilapidated Yukishiro residence. This time with a great deal of backup, just in case Enishi resisted.   
  
Enishi flung open the door with a glare. "What do you want now?"  
  
Kenshin straightened up, trying his best to make himself look taller. "We would like to see inside your house."  
  
"No."  
  
Kenshin held up the warrant. "I'm afraid we can't accept No for an answer."   
  
He held out the warrant and Enishi took it, examining it as Kenshin, Soujiro, and a team of forensic investigators brushed past.   
  
The house was dark, as all of the blinds were drawn and no lights were on. They quickly discovered that no lights were on because there were no lights, other than in the kitchen. There was a layer of dust covering everything, suggesting that Enishi had not been back from his 'Vacation' for very long. Either that or he simply did not care about dust.   
  
"Or maybe he couldn't see the dust because there isn't any light." Soujiro volunteered in response to the lieutenant's musings.   
  
Kenshin nodded. "Good observation."  
  
Half of the team took the downstairs, lead by Kenshin. The other half, lead by Soujiro, took the upstairs. Enishi still stood by the front door, glaring at everyone.   
  
After about twenty minutes, Soujiro came charging down the staircase and over to Enishi.  
  
"All right, where is she?"  
  
"I don't know who you're talking about."  
  
"Yes you do. Where is she?"  
  
Kenshin walked over to the unusually angry detective and pulled him aside.   
  
"You didn't find her?"   
  
Soujiro shook his head.  
  
"Neither have we."  
  
"Apparently we were wrong."   
  
Kenshin shook his head. "Don't give up yet. There's still a few places we haven't looked."   
  
***  
  
Soujiro rubbed his temples. "I don't get it."  
  
Kenshin sighed. "I guess we were wrong after all."  
  
"She had to have been in this house some point."  
  
"Do you believe me now?"  
  
The two men turned around to look at a smug Enishi. No, they didn't believe him now, but they didn't have any other evidence to go on. At least not yet.   
  
Enishi held up the warrant. "You can guarantee I'll sue for harassment."   
  
Kenshin and Soujiro looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Just what their department needed; another lawsuit. They had enough already thanks to Chou the womanizer.   
  
"Lieutenant, detective, come take a look at this."   
  
Kenshin and Soujiro walked over to a young forensics investigator. He was holding pictures.  
  
Kenshin took the pictures and looked at them, with Soujiro looking over his shoulder. They seemed to be more of the ones they had been sent: A nude Kaoru chained in a strange, confined area filled with rusted pipes.  
  
Yet in these pictures, she was smiling.   
  
Not just smiling, grinning. Grinning like she was having the best time of her life. Kenshin sighed and turned back around to Enishi, holding up the pictures. "Where were these taken?"   
  
Enishi shrugged.   
  
Soujiro stalked over and grabbed Enishi by the front of his shirt, slamming him against the wall. "Don't play games with us! Now where is she?!"  
  
Kenshin calmly walked up behind Soujiro, not bothering to tell Soujiro to 'take it easy' like he usually did. This time he was past caring.   
  
Enishi looked between Soujiro and Kenshin. He didn't seem to be too distressed by Soujiro's outburst. In fact, he seemed to be just as calm as ever. This perturbed Kenshin and Soujiro even more. Enishi remained silent. Soujiro shoved him harder against the wall. "Well?"   
  
Kenshin held up the pictures again. "The pictures, Mister Yukishiro, the pictures. Where were they taken?"   
  
Again, Enishi was silent. Soujiro was beginning to contemplate throwing him around some more when finally he spoke up.   
  
"On a battleship. Below deck on an old battleship. They were her idea. She liked the music video for No Doubt's song Hella Good. She thought it was erotic and wanted to re-create it. Now do you mind? This is a good shirt."  
  
Soujiro rolled his eyes. "Where is she now?"   
  
"When I said I had no idea, I meant it. She takes off on her own all the time."  
  
"So she's not chained below deck on a battleship?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then why did you send us those letters?" Kenshin asked.   
  
"I didn't. She and Tomoe thought it would be fun to taunt you."   
  
Soujiro finally let go of Enishi and he and Kenshin looked at each other. "What do you mean she and Tomoe? Your wife is dead."  
  
Enishi shook his head. "We staged her death."   
  
"Then who's body was the one that was found?"   
  
Enishi gave a little shrug. "I didn't know her name."   
  
Suddenly they heard some scuffling at the door and everyone turned in time to see a female figure turn around and run off. Soujiro took off after her.   
  
It didn't take too long for former track star Soujiro to catch up with the small woman in high heels. He grabbed her by the arm and turned her around, right as Kenshin ran up behind them.   
  
They recognized her from the picture in her file.   
  
Soujiro took a deep breath. "Tomoe Yukishiro, you're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you can not afford one, one will be appointed to you..."   
  
***  
  
"Why?" Kenshin asked as he sat across from Tomoe in the interrogation room.   
  
"It wasn't my idea."  
  
"You husband says it was."  
  
"Sending the pictures was my idea. The battleship was Kaoru's. The kidnapping was Kaoru's. She hated social services. They were going to take her from us. She was tired of being passed around from one family to another. So she came up with an idea and asked us if we would be willing to play along with it. We said yes. We love having her around."  
  
Kenshin shook his head. This was beginning to make his head spin. "Where is Kaoru now?"  
  
"I don't know. I don't monitor her every move."   
  
He sighed. "Why the pictures? Why would she want to do something like that with you? I could understand her boyfriend..."  
  
"She was in love with Enishi."  
  
Kenshin blinked. "What?"  
  
"She was...or is, rather, in love with my husband."  
  
"And you were just okay with that?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
Kenshin sighed. "Do you know what you're being charged with?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good."   
  
Kenshin stood and left the room, meeting Soujiro in the hall where he had been watching through the one way mirror.   
  
"Those people...are...INSANE!" Kenshin half shouted to no one in particular.   
  
Soujiro nodded. "I can't believe Tomoe would be perfectly fine with the fact that Kaoru is in love with her husband. What does Enishi say about it?"  
  
"I haven't talked to him yet."  
  
They were silent for a moment as they thought over all of the strange twists of the day.  
  
"So we need to find Kaoru." Soujiro mused.   
  
"It seems that way."  
  
"Wasn't what we needed to do to begin with?"  
  
"Yeah. Only now its for a different reason."   
  
*********************************************************  
  
Sorry its so short, folks. I kept changing my mind as to what I wanted to have happened to Kaoru, which is why there are so many twists in this chapter. lol Sometimes I even surprised myself. I completely scrapped my original ending because I thought up new twists that wouldn't work with that ending. So I don't know what's going to happen any more than you do! lol  
  
It's beginning to sound like an episode of Law and Order:Special Victims Unit lol  
  
~The Monster~ ~_^ 


	4. Chapter 4

Tattered Hope: I agree. I like your username, by the way.  
  
The-Lone-Lemon: lol Neither can I. lol Thanks for your review. ^_^  
  
kean: lol I hope she's not going to be as sick as she seems either. lol People say that a lot about me, so I sympathize. No, there is no hope whatsoever for a KK pairing. However, that does not necessarily mean I'll be keeping the Ken/Meg pairing. You'll just have to read the sequel. I will definitely be keeping the Sou/Yumi pairing, though. ~_^  
  
Pocky-girl: lol Thanks. I have no idea what you're talking about, but thank you nonetheless. ^_^  
  
Jaid Skywalker: Like your username. Star Wars fan? Or is that actually your real name? Anyways, thanks! ^_^  
  
@$$: Thank you! That's the shortest, albeit one of the nicest, reviews I've received. ^_^  
  
Ochanoko: lol Well, you're pretty darn close, if not right on the button. They are, indeed, both lying and insane. I guess I'm doing pretty good at getting that point across, ne? Nope, No KK. Gomen. ^_^  
  
Sobrina: I haven't seen that episode. *Pouts* too bad. Oh well, maybe they'll play it again someday. And anyways, no you don't have a lot of room to talk. I ought to make Kaoru a completely kinky psychopathic pervert just to get back at you.   
  
But I wont.  
  
I don't think.  
  
  
  
Alright, to answer *all * of your questions...NO! This is NOT going to turn into a Kenshin/Kaoru pairing. I'm sorry folks, I really, really am but I'm just sick and tired of that pairing. It's been done to death. Its cooked. Fried. Vegetated. Spoiled. It's been sitting in the refrigerator for too long.  
  
It's time to throw it out.   
  
Alright, well, don't throw *all * of it out. It's a good pairing, really it is, I'm just tired of it. People need to think up new pairings.  
  
*Clears throat * Now that I got that off of my chest (and got rid of the vast majority of my readers), Gomen Nasai, folks. I've decided to take a brief interlude from the mystery. *Hopefully * this chapter will have some romance.   
  
Watch as I completely butcher this story.   
  
Devils and Angels  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Soujiro sighed as he relaxed on the couch. Yumi would be home soon; she had taken a friend to the store. The day's events still spun around in his mind. 'Kenshin was right, these people really are insane.'  
  
They had posted a 24 hour watch at the house in case Kaoru returned.   
  
He needed to get his mind off of the case, and he began to hunt around for the remote, finally finding it on top of the TV. One of the few places it had never been before. Lying back down, he began channel surf. No, he wasn't going to watch Law and Order. He hated reality programs, he hated soap operas. He had to watch enough soap operas when Yumi was home; she loved those things. He could never understand why. Of course, it didn't help that their TV only got up to channel 24. He also hated prime time sitcoms, which meant...he didn't want to watch anything that was currently on TV. He sighed and turned it off.   
  
He stood and began wandering around the small apartment. He considered reading a book, goodness knows, he had enough of them...but he had read each and every one of them a minimum of three times. They were mostly about boats, naval history, and the sea. He loved the ocean, and had been saving up for a yacht every since his birth mother took him to the beach when he was three.  
  
One month before she died.   
  
He shook his head, trying to think of something better to do than dwell on the past.   
  
Suddenly he had a brainstorm. 'I know what I'll do. I'll cook dinner! Yumi will be tired when she gets back and wont feel like cooking...it would be nice to have dinner ready for her.'  
  
Not that he knew how to cook. During his existence as a bachelor he lived off of TV dinners and ready-to-serve canned soups. He walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He hadn't the slightest clue what half of the stuff was. He began opening cupboards at random. Well, he would need a large skillet...two plates...two forks...a sharp knife...salt...pepper...garlic powder...real garlic...onion...oh, how about some red pepper as well? Oh, might as well take down the oregano and parsley.  
  
He began chopping up the onion. Half didn't look like enough. So, he chopped up the entire thing. Next to the garlic...well, he had garlic powder, did he really need real garlic? He put the garlic back.   
  
He went back to the fridge. What exactly was he fixing, anyway? Eggs. He had heard about egg casserole on the radio. Maybe that's what he was fixing. Yeah, that's it, egg casserole! Okay, he took out the eggs. Oooohh, and green beans! And potato...oh and ham.   
  
Actually, on second thought, he didn't like ham that much.  
  
But there was ground beef. Cooked ground beef. Yeah...  
  
***  
  
When Yumi walked through the door, she smelled smoke. 'Oh no. What if Soujiro is asleep and can't smell the smoke? It's a good thing I got home...'  
  
The smoke seemed to be coming from the kitchen. She threw her purse and keys down on the table by the door and went running into the kitchen, not sure what she would find.  
  
'Oh, please have Soujiro be all right, please have Soujiro be all right...'   
  
She stopped dead in her tracks as she looked into the kitchen.  
  
Soujiro was cooking.   
  
Soujiro was actually cooking.  
  
Hell must have frozen over.   
  
Actually, Soujiro wasn't cooking; Soujiro was washing the dishes. The skillet on the stove behind him was cooking. And smoking. Quite profusely.   
  
"What are you doing?" Yumi asked, making Soujiro jump and drop the bowl he was holding. Thankfully, it only fell as far as the sink.   
  
"Uh..." Soujiro hurriedly picked up the bowl and checked it over, making sure it wasn't broken. "I...uh...I was trying to fix dinner."  
  
Yumi, with her hands on her hips, looked at Soujiro, then looked at the skillet, which was still smoking. She then proceeded to look back at Soujiro, who was smiling sheepishly. Slowly, she shook her head. Soujiro glared at the skillet. After a moment, Soujiro's eyes lit up and he began grinning. Gesturing grandly toward the skillet, he proudly announced: "We're having smoked eggs tonight!"   
  
***  
  
Yumi chewed. And chewed. And chewed. And chewed. Soujiro was beginning to get worried.  
  
"It's, um..." She chewed some more. "It's um..." Finally she swallowed and smiled. "It's very good! The charcoal ands an interesting texture to it."   
  
Soujiro grinned and took a bite. Well, it was...different.  
  
(A/N this is how I cook. Although, I have yet to chop up a whole onion in a meal for two. I do have *that* much common sense.)  
  
Yumi sighed and leaned her head on Soujiro's shoulder, as they were sitting side by side on the couch, mostly due to the fact that they didn't have a dining table.   
  
"That was very sweet of you to cook dinner."   
  
Soujiro smiled proudly. "Well, I knew you were going to be tired. I'm just glad it's edible."  
  
"So how is the case going?"  
  
He gave a small shrug and shook his head. "It's insane. We get these pictures, like the girl is being held against her will...turns out the pictures were her idea."  
  
Yumi stared at Soujiro. "Why...would she want to do that?"  
  
He shook his head, thinking I about it. "I...have...no...idea."   
  
The clock ticked as the both sat there, each one thinking about something different. Soujiro sighed. They still had to interrogate Enishi tomorrow. He was curious to see what the man would say about Tomoe's comments.   
  
Suddenly a sly smile spread across Yumi's face. "Why don't we ever take pictures?"  
  
Soujiro looked at his wife and blinked, trying to think of an answer. "Um...where do you get these ideas?"  
  
Yumi grinned and shrugged then laughed at her husband's bewildered expression. "I take that as a no?"  
  
"Yeeaahh..." He said slowly.   
  
Yumi pouted. "Too bad."  
  
***  
  
Kenshin sighed as he walked in to his house, closing and locking the front door behind him. He could see lights on in the living room and frowned. The children shouldn't be up this late. They both had school in the morning.  
  
He hung up his coat and headed into the living room, quite surprised to see Megumi sitting in one of the recliners, watching TV.   
  
"What are you doing here?" Kenshin asked, not realizing how that sounded.  
  
Megumi glared at him. "It's my house, too."  
  
He shook his head. "I'm sorry...I...I didn't mean it like that..."  
  
Megumi's expression softened a bit.  
  
"So, um...I thought you were at work." Kenshin said softly.   
  
"Tonight is my night off."   
  
"Oh."   
  
Kenshin stood there for a moment. Megumi turned back to the TV.   
  
"Anything interesting on?" He asked quietly.  
  
She shrugged. "I'm watching a movie about an earthquake."   
  
All kinds of questions ran through Kenshin's mind- 'May I join you?' 'How was your day?' 'Would you like something to eat?' 'Can I get you anything?' 'How are the children?'-but he never voiced any of them. He simply turned and headed back to the bedroom.  
  
Alone.  
  
***  
  
"I have to get ready for work." Soujiro said with a smile, though he didn't bother to move.   
  
Yumi pouted. "I few more minutes won't hurt."  
  
"The lieutenant can be very tolerant, but if I'm late..."  
  
"You won't be. Just a few more minutes."   
  
Soujiro rested his head on Yumi's chest. "Five minutes."  
  
Yumi grinned. She always enjoyed getting her way. "It gets so lonely here after you leave."  
  
"Don't you work today?"  
  
"No, remember, today is Friday."  
  
"Oh. Well, why don't you go over and visit your brother? Doesn't he live nearby?"  
  
Yumi glared at him and he instantly regretted saying that. He kept forgetting that her family refused to speak to her when she re-married.   
  
"I'm sorry." He said.  
  
She shook her head. "Your memory keeps getting worse and worse."   
  
"I know, I know, I'm sorry." He lifted his head up slightly to look at the clock. "It's been five minutes."  
  
"Oohh...five more."  
  
"I really got get ready." He began to stand but she grabbed his arm and dragged him back on to the bed.   
  
"Five more minutes, and I'll fix breakfast while your getting dressed."  
  
He smiled as he slipped an arm around her waist and laid his head back down on her chest. "Five minutes."  
  
***  
  
"Good morning, lieutenant!" Soujiro quipped cheerfully as Kenshin passed by his desk.  
  
Kenshin stopped and looked at the young detective. "How can you be so cheerful in the morning?"  
  
Soujiro looked up with his customary bewildered expression and shrugged. "Um...breakfast helps."   
  
Kenshin shook his head and began to walk off. Soujiro stood and followed the lieutenant into his office.   
  
"Do you ever eat breakfast?" Soujiro asked.  
  
"No, I'm too busy."  
  
"Well, that's why they make things for people on the go. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Or at least that's what Yumi tells me. She's a massage therapist, so she knows quite a bit about health. More than I do, anyway."   
  
Kenshin rolled his eyes and began searching for a bottle of aspirin.   
  
"It's in the bottom left drawer, buried under some paperwork."   
  
Kenshin looked up. "What?"  
  
"The aspirin. It's in the bottom left drawer, buried under some paperwork. That is what you're looking for, isn't it?"  
  
Kenshin slowly looked back down to the desk and opened the drawer, shoving around some paperwork...  
  
Lo and behold! There was the aspirin he had been looking for for the past two weeks.  
  
"How did you know?" He asked Soujiro as he took off the lid.  
  
"I saw you put it there when you first brought it in. Plus I had to borrow a few the other day. I hope you don't mind."  
  
Kenshin shook his head as he reached for his coffee cup. "How did you know I was looking for aspirin?"   
  
"You look like you have a hangover."  
  
"I do?"  
  
"Yeah. So who is interrogating Enishi?"  
  
"You."  
  
Soujiro thought for a moment. "Oookay. And I take it that Kaoru never showed up?"  
  
"No she didn't."  
  
Soujiro nodded. "I guess I'll get started with Enishi, then."   
  
***  
  
Soujiro sighed as he looked through the one-way mirror of the interrogation room at Enishi. The man was staring at the one-way mirror. Either that or his own reflection, Soujiro wasn't sure which. Either way, he had his arms crossed and looked quite surly.   
  
This was not something Soujiro was looking forward to.   
  
*********************************************************  
  
I figure that's a good place to end this chapter. It'll keep y'all in suspense (I hope). I apologize for the lack of interesting content in this chapter-I wanted to drag it out a bit, and give you a view of Soujiro's and Kenshin's home lives, i.e. some romance, at which point my split personality took over a bit. She's really good at writing dull, boring, sappy things.  
  
So, I suppose I have to give her some credit.   
  
This chapter was co-authored by The Monster in your Dreams and Angel of the Deceased.   
  
Angel does have an account here, but for your own sake, DO NOT READ HER FICS!!!! They are AWFUL! Except, maybe, Game Over, her Star Trek: Enterprise parody. She's pretty good at writing parodies. But her drama and romance stories SUCK. Of course, I'm pretty bad at writing romance as well. But she seems to value quantity over quality. Anyway, I'm sorry, enough complaining.   
  
Well, I hope I haven't scared away all of my readers with this chapter.   
  
I'd like to thank each and every one of my reviewers! Please keep reviewing! It makes me want to continue this story! So you want me to keep writing this story? Keep reviewing! ^_^   
  
Thanks y'all! I'll try to make the next chappie more interesting. lol  
  
~The Monster~ ~_^ 


	5. Chapter 5

Ochanoko: lol Yeah. Sorry to disappoint you with the KK, but thank you! I'm so glad you like it! And you won't have to wait long for the next chapter, cause...well, here it is! lol Please keep reviewing! I enjoy reading your reviews!  
  
Silent Tears of Agony: :-P  
  
Mika: Heh heh yeah lol.   
  
Kitsune KeNsHiN: lol Yeah. Thanks. lol Thanks, I hope you like the ending just as much.   
  
Devils and Angels  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Soujiro opened the door and walked in to the interrogation room, shutting it tightly behind him.  
  
"Good morning, Mister Yukishiro."  
  
Enishi just glared at him. Soujiro set a tape recorder down on the middle of the table, then sat down across from Enishi.   
  
"Were you aware of Kaoru's feelings toward you?" Soujiro asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Did you return those feelings?"  
  
There was no answer.   
  
"Your wife told us..."  
  
"She's not my wife."   
  
Soujiro blinked. "I beg your pardon?"   
  
"I said, Tomoe is not my wife."  
  
Soujiro thought about this for a moment. "Then...who is she?"   
  
"She's my sister."   
  
Soujiro sighed and stood, walking over to the pitcher of water on the table in front of the one-way mirror. He knew Kenshin was on the other side, watching and listening. He looked at the mirror and rolled his eyes before pouring himself a cup of water and drinking it all down. He sat the cup back down and turned back to Enishi. "Mister Yukishiro, would you be willing to consent to a polygraph test?"   
  
There was a long silence. Finally, Enishi spoke. "I think I want a lawyer."   
  
Soujiro frowned. This was not good. "If you have nothing to hide, a lawyer would just complicate things. You could be out of here much sooner if you would just take the test."  
  
Enishi looked straight into Soujiro's eyes. Enishi's eyes were cold. The only emotion Soujiro saw in them was anger. It was a feeling Soujiro was all too familiar with.  
  
"I want a lawyer." Enishi's voice pierced the heavy silence and the staring contest was over.   
  
Soujiro sighed. "Very well." He picked up the recorder on the table and headed out of the room.  
  
"We should interrogate the sister, or wife or whatever she is again. Maybe we'll luck out and she won't lawyer up." Kenshin said after Soujiro closed the door.   
  
Soujiro nodded. "I'm starting to get a feeling that the pictures weren't entirely Kaoru's idea."   
  
Kenshin nodded. "So am I."  
  
Both Kenshin and Soujiro sat across from Tomoe in the interrogation room.   
  
"Your brother told us what's really going on." Soujiro said.   
  
Tomoe looked slightly surprised, but said nothing.   
  
"Is that why you didn't mind that Kaoru was in love with him? Because he really isn't your husband?" Kenshin asked.   
  
Again, Tomoe said nothing.   
  
"Why did you pretend he was?"   
  
Tomoe sighed. "Social services would never consider a brother and sister as prospective foster parents."  
  
"Why did you want you want to be foster parents?" Soujiro asked.   
  
"For the extra money. The state pays you well when you care for a foster child."   
  
"What really happened with Kaoru?" Kenshin leaned forward and asked softly.   
  
There was a long silence as Tomoe studied the tabletop. "She...she was a very good girl. She studied hard, she was obedient. She was an older child, and older children were often more difficult to place. She had hopped around from one home to another...and...and some of her previous foster parents had...had done things to her. She had problems because of it. She knew Enishi and I were really brother and sister. She said she wouldn't tell because she was afraid of being taken to yet another home. She said that we treated her better than any of the others had."   
  
"What went on between her and Enishi?" Soujiro prodded.   
  
Tomoe sighed. "She...well, after a while, she began to...to have a crush on Enishi. Just a schoolgirl's crush, fawning over him and whatnot. I hear it's often a puberty thing, when hormones start kicking in, girls tend to fall for older men because they think boys their own age are immature, and I suppose it's true. Girls mature faster than boys. But pretty quickly, the crush turned to love. She would do anything to be with Enishi. It didn't take long for Enishi to figure it out. At first he got a kick out of it, he thought it was funny. He...he sort of led her on. Then, one night...she must have misread his actions, and thought that he genuinely returned her feelings. She started coming on to him...you know, sexually. He..." She shook her head and started shivering. "I...I told him we could all get in to trouble for it. They didn't care. She was in love with him, to him she was a good time, available whenever he wanted her. After a while things started getting out of hand...so we moved. Social services began getting wise to us. I'm not sure who tipped them off. So we moved out of state. We came back two months ago. I wanted to stay behind, but they insisted I come back with them. Those pictures were taken about a week ago..." She shook her head. "Enishi was getting tired of Kaoru. He wanted to find a way to get rid of her. You see...she was getting older, and had begun to bug him about marriage. He didn't want to get married, and certainly not to her. So...he suggested this idea about the pictures to her, and she agreed to it without a thought, and when he got finished...he chained her there."  
  
Soujiro and Kenshin looked and each other in amazement.   
  
"Where is 'there'?" Soujiro asked.   
  
"I don't know. They didn't tell me. I didn't want to know."  
  
"How do we know everything you just told us was the truth?" Kenshin asked.  
  
"I...I would repeat it all on a lie detector test. I just...I just want this all to end." She said the last part in a near whisper as she raised her hand and wiped away a tear. "I'm tired of all of this lying."   
  
Kenshin stood and walked out into the hallway, calling one of the young officers over to him. "Officer Honjo, get a polygraph set up for Miss Yukishiro."  
  
"So do we have -any- leads on where Kaoru might be?" Soujiro asked as he stretched in front of his desk, surveying all of his notes that were tacked to the cubicle walls.   
  
"Well..." Kenshin thought for a moment. "...When we searched the house, Enishi said the pictures were taken on an old battleship."  
  
Soujiro shook his head. "They couldn't possibly have snuck on board a naval battleship. There aren't even any around here. The closest one is docked up in Oakland, it's sort of a floating museum."   
  
"How do you know?"  
  
Soujiro shrugged. "I like ships."   
  
Kenshin glanced at his watch. "We'll have to do some research on that. I expect to get a call from Enishi's new lawyer this afternoon. In the mean time, I've got a meeting with the captain."  
  
Soujiro smiled wryly. "Careful he doesn't eat you."   
  
Kenshin stifled a laugh. It was an inside joke within the department. Captain Saito was one of the most feared members of the Monterey Police Department-everyone agreed he looked like a vampire. (A/N in chapter 3 (at least I -think- it was 3) I called him Captain Hajime. I have since found out that Hajime is his given name, and Saito is his surname. So, I apologize for the inconsistency. From now on he's Captain Saito. (That just sounds so strange lol.)  
  
"I'll make sure he's had lunch first." With that Kenshin left. Soujiro smiled and shook his head, but the smile quickly faded as his mind returned to the case on hand. They had to find Kaoru.   
  
But how?  
  
When Soujiro returned home that evening, he was in a very bad mood. The lawyer had gotten Enishi out on bail. They were no closer to finding Kaoru than when the investigation had started. Tomoe had told them the truth...  
  
And frankly, it all pissed him off.   
  
He had become a police officer to protect the innocent. To protect the weak, to protect people like Kaoru.  
  
To protect children like himself. When he was a child, no one had been there to protect him. Now, he wanted to be there to protect others.  
  
But he wasn't there for Kaoru.  
  
And she could die because of it.   
  
The anger welled up inside him as he took off his coat. He just couldn't stand it anymore.   
  
With a cry he turned and slammed his fist into the wall, wishing it was Enishi's head. He took a step back, realizing what he had done.  
  
Oh, their landlord was -NOT- going to be happy about that.   
  
He looked down at his hand, which was already bruising rapidly (apparently their apartment was built better than he thought), then back up at the hole in the wall.   
  
Yumi stopped dead in her tracks as she watched the display. She had never seen her husband so angry.  
  
And it scared her.  
  
[Begin Flashback]  
  
Shishio Makoto stood over the debris of what had been a curio cabinet (till he got through with it). He looked at his hands, bruised and bleeding, and smiled. He didn't care about the pain. It made him feel powerful to destroy things.  
  
He heard some rattling to his left and turned to see his wife approach from the other room, carrying a tea tray.  
  
Yumi took one look at what was left of the curio cabinet and the look on Shishio's face and began to back away.  
  
Shishio turned and began to walk toward her.  
  
"Oh, please don't..." Yumi begged softly. "Please no..."  
  
Shishio lunged, Yumi dropped the tray and tried to run, but he was too fast for her. He grabbed her by her neck and threw her against the wall, pinning her there with his own bodyweight. She was shaking from fear. She knew what was coming.  
  
[End Flashback]  
  
"Yumi?"  
  
Yumi jumped as she was brought back to the moment by Soujiro's soft voice. She blinked, trying to clear her mind. She was a bit startled that her husband was so close to her now. She hadn't realized when he approached her.  
  
He stepped forward and gently caressed Yumi's face, though his hand was now throbbing. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." He whispered. He could tell he had scared her when he hit the wall; brought back memories of her first husband. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her towards him. Yumi leaned against his chest and sighed as he stroked her hair.   
  
"I'm sorry, Yumi. I'm sorry."  
  
"We could get him for statutory rape." Soujiro mused to Kenshin the next morning as they looked over their notes.  
  
"What did you think we were going to try and get him for?"   
  
"Well, I mean, we could arrest him right now. We didn't charge him with statutory rape when we brought him in the first time. We have enough evidence for that now. We can always tack on the other charges later."  
  
Kenshin thought for a minute. "Do you really think Tomoe would testify against her brother?"  
  
"Maybe if we let her plead to a lesser charge. Maybe offer her a reduced sentence. I don't think she had very much to do with this, other than keeping her mouth shut about it. I figured we would go for Aiding and Abetting, with minimum time served."  
  
Kenshin nodded. "We could try."  
  
"It would be better than having that man wandering around on the streets."   
  
Kenshin nodded. "I'll get the warrant. By the way, what happened to your hand?"  
  
Soujiro hesitated before answering. "The wall hit me."  
  
"The wall hit you?"  
  
Soujiro no nodded solemnly. "The wall has a grudge against me."  
  
Kenshin rolled his eyes and left on the trail of the arrest warrant. Soujiro smiled. Well, at least his hand wasn't hurting -too- badly.   
  
lol I know, it's another short one. I apologize, I never intended to make Kaoru out to be as perverted as I did in the first few chappies. I'm currently trying to make her out to be a misguided young girl. Am I succeeding?  
  
I'm gonna try and wrap this story up within the next two chapters, just to let everyone know. But I intend to write a sequel! In fact, I intend to write a whole series! I'm really looking forward to it. So keep your eyes open for 'Cruel and Unusual'.   
  
TTYL  
  
The Monster 


	6. And Now, the Conclusion

rath: lol Thanks! lol I just had to add some comedy; I can't stand pure drama (my cousin is the exact opposite-she has to add an element of drama to her comedies). lol So glad you like it. Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing!   
  
Shadow's Assassin: lol Thanks! I like your user name. Oh, I love alternate pairings, and I'm probably the world's biggest fan of the Soujiro/Yumi pairing.  
  
WHY would she want Shishio when she has Soujiro right in front of her??  
  
Clears throat Now that I got that out of my system, thank you very much for your review and I'm very glad you like this fic-I hope you like the ending just as much.   
  
Ochanoko: lol Thanks. Well, I make up for that chapter being so short by making this one extra-extra long lol.   
  
Plus, there's always the sequel. I don't know if you'd like it as much, though. Thanks for reviewing!   
  
Once again I would like to thank ALL of my reviewers! Y'all have been so much nicer to me than I thought you would. I'm so glad y'all like this fic so much, and I can only hope I wont disappoint you with the sequel.   
  
I don't want to ruin the mood at the end of this fic (Yes, this is the ending chapter), so I will put my closing Author's Note here.  
  
I know this is an awfully long chapter (I really should have split it up in to two). You know how sometimes with series finales, the finale will be two hours or longer when the show was only a half-hour or hour? That's kinda what I was going for with this.  
  
Also, I have since discovered (since the previous chapter) that Makoto is actually Shishio's given name, much like Hajime is actually Saito's given name, so I apologize for the inaccuracy of the previous chapter (i.e. Yumi's flashback). However, this raises a different problem: Is Okita Okita's given name or surname?   
  
If y'all want to read more of Detective Seta and Lieutenant Himura, check out Cruel and Unusual! I'm starting it, like, practically right now.  
  
(Ah, if only good 'ol what's-his-face knew what I was doing to his characters. He would probably keel over dead.)  
  
Once again, I would like to thank ALL of my reviewers. Y'all have been so kind to me. I hope you like (and can understand) this ending.  
  
Devils and Angels  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Soujiro sat on the end of the dock with his feet dangling in the water. He had found this dock some years ago, when he was wandering around after being released from the youth facility. It was quiet, in a rural area. He figured it was privately owned, but there was no 'Private Property' or 'No Trespassing' signs, not even any boats anchored nearby. The dock was in need of repair, though it was still sturdy enough to walk on. It was probably abandoned, forgotten about.   
  
It was located in a small, tree-lined inlet. He could see straight out to the ocean from where he was sitting. A few times when he was there, a boat would come in and look around, probably curious as to where it led. They would leave quickly, as it was indeed very small and shallow, and there was not much to see, other than pine trees and perhaps a manzanita.   
  
It was nearly dark. The sun still illuminated a few clouds near the horizon, making them look pink and orange. He loved this time of day (or night). The air was crisp, and slightly salty, considering he was near the ocean. He had taken Yumi here a few times, though he knew she didn't enjoy it as much as he did. Mostly because she felt she was going to fall through the dock. She was the only person he had ever taken here, for he didn't have many friends, and after all, this was HIS little getaway. All his own. Therefore he didn't want many people to know about it for fear they might take it away from him.   
  
He would typically come here when he needed some time alone, or when he needed to relax and clear his mind, as was the case tonight. The investigation was beginning to get to him. They had at least succeeded with arresting Enishi (for the second time), and hopefully this time the charges would stick. Against his better judgement, they had dropped the charges against Tomoe in exchange for her testament against Enishi.   
  
But they were still no closer to finding Kaoru.   
  
He heard a creaking sound on the dock behind him, and was about to turn and look when he heard a familiar voice.  
  
"I figured I'd find you here."   
  
He smiled but said nothing as he listened to her footsteps walking closer to him.   
  
"I was beginning to get worried about you." She said as she stood next to him.  
  
He looked up at Yumi. "Have a seat."  
  
She made a disgusted face as she looked down at the dock and slowly began to sit down.   
  
Soujiro chuckled. "It's not going to break, I promise."   
  
"Yeah right." She grumbled as she finally sat down.   
  
There was silence as they both enjoyed the fading sunset.   
  
"I take it the case isn't going well?"   
  
Soujiro shook his head.   
  
"It's kinda creepy to think that you pass these people on the street every day, and you would never guess by looking at them that they would be capable of such things. I guess it proves that saying, you don't know what goes on behind closed doors."   
  
"Yeah, it does."   
  
"Anything I can do to help?"  
  
Soujiro blinked. "Huh?"  
  
Yumi rolled her eyes. He could be so dumb sometimes. "With the case."  
  
"Oh." He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Not unless you know of any battleships nearby."   
  
Yumi shook her head. "I figured that was -your- area of expertise."  
  
"Yeah, I thought it was too." He looked back out to the ocean and sighed.   
  
Again, silence prevailed.   
  
Yumi studied her husband. She knew the case was bothering him, more so than usual. She realized that when he punched a hole in the wall the night before.   
  
Soujiro studied the horizon. Every second that ticked by was a second that meant Kaoru was dying.   
  
"You're doing all you can do for her, Sou."  
  
"But it's not enough."   
  
Yumi looked down at her lap. He did have a point, but so did she. She tried to think of something to say that might be of help. "Um...try looking at the pictures again."   
  
He shook his head. "We have a million times."   
  
Yumi sighed. Soujiro smiled and reached over to her, grasping her hand.   
  
"Thank you for trying."   
  
She smiled back. "I wish I could be of more help."   
  
He looked back out to the horizon.   
  
He blinked.   
  
He suddenly remembered something.   
  
Yumi noticed her husband's expression. He had thought of something.   
  
"I've got to go back to the office." He jumped up and said suddenly.  
  
"Ooookaaay..."   
  
"I'll be home soon!" He shouted back to her as he ran off.  
  
Soujiro spread the pictures that started this whole investigation out on his desk, then began opening his drawers, trying to find his magnifying glass.   
  
Finally he yanked each drawer out and dumped the contents out on the floor, cursing quite profusely the entire time because the magnifying glass could not be found.   
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Soujiro looked up with an expression similar to that of a deer caught in headlights. Captain Saito was standing in the doorway of the cubicle, surveying the mess. Drawers had been taken out of the desk and stacked to one side, their contents spread around everywhere. Scraps of paper were tacked to the walls, papers were hanging out of the lopsided file cabinet, the desk was piled high with paperwork...and nude pictures. 'This man made detective?'   
  
"I didn't know you were still here." Was Soujiro's response.   
  
Saito frowned. No, scowled was a better description of the look he gave Soujiro.  
  
"Um...do you have a magnifying glass?" Soujiro asked hopefully.   
  
Saito raised an eyebrow, Soujiro noticed the way he was studying the desk, and presumably the nude photos. He could only imagine what the captain was thinking.  
  
"It's for a case, sir." Soujiro quickly clarified.  
  
Saito's expression did not change as he turned and headed back in the direction of his office. Soujiro wasn't sure if the captain had left to get a magnifying glass or not, so he continued looking.   
  
After a moment the captain returned, and with a magnifying glass, much to Soujiro's delight. Soujiro gladly accepted it, hopped over the mess on the floor, and bent over the desk, studying the pictures.  
  
"What -exactly- are you looking for?" Saito repeated.  
  
"I know it's here somewhere. We've been looking at it the entire time! It had never occurred to me what it might be till I was sitting on the dock just a little while ago with my wife...on the pipes there is a plaque...-somewhere-. The plaque should have the name of the ship, or at least the identification number."  
  
"You think the person who took these would be stupid enough to send you the one that shows the plaque?"  
  
"Apparently you haven't met Enishi."   
  
Saito rolled his eyes and turned to leave. "I'll be checking on you in the morning, detective."   
  
'What did he mean by that?' Soujiro stopped what he was doing for a moment to ponder over what the captain said, then finally shook his head and went back to searching.  
  
Kenshin was looking over paperwork on his dining room table when he heard a pounding on the front door. "Just a minute."  
  
Kenshin walked over to the door and leaned against it. "Who is it?"  
  
"Detective Seta. You've got to see this. It's been right in front of us the entire time! Can you believe that? It occurred to me when I was sitting on the dock earlier with Yumi that I had seen it but hadn't thought anything of it, so I went back to the office and began looking for my magnifying glass, well, captain Saito came by, and I can only imagine what he thought about the nude photos spread out on my desk, but anyway, he leant me his magnifying glass..."  
  
Kenshin rolled his eyes and opened the door as Soujiro continued rambling about how he had found 'it'. He held up his hand with an exasperated look, which Soujiro had learned over the years meant 'Shut up and get to the point already'.   
  
Soujiro took a deep breath and handed Kenshin one of the pictures. "See anything?"  
  
"Soujiro, we've been over these a thousand times already..."  
  
Soujiro took out the magnifying glass and placed it over one portion of the picture.  
  
Kenshin leaned closer.  
  
There was a plaque.  
  
There were words on the plaque.  
  
U.S.S Purgatory.  
  
"My god, it's been right in front of us the whole time."   
  
Soujiro nodded. "The Purgatory is a battleship that was retired from active duty. Somehow it wound up in civilian hands, where it was refitted to look like a simple, albeit unusually large, commercial fishing ship. The company who owns it is having legal problems, so it hasn't been used for months. Kaoru could easily be down there and no one ever realized it. The best part is it's anchored only ten minutes away."  
  
Kenshin nodded and reached for his coat and shoes. "Call for backup."  
  
"I already did."   
  
Soujiro and Kenshin stopped at the top of the stairwell when they saw how high the water level now was. Kenshin turned back around to the officers behind them. "Officers Tucker and Robins, you stay up here and cover us. Officer Honjo, you're coming down with us."  
  
"I am?" The unusually feminine-looking man said in a small voice as he studied the stairwell.   
  
Soujiro rolled his eyes. "Please don't tell me you're aquaphobic."  
  
"Um...I'm not aquaphobic."  
  
"Good. Then come on." Kenshin said, and he and Soujiro began heading down the stairwell.   
  
The water was cold and as high as their waists, which made their progress irritatingly slow.   
  
"Do you recognize anything from the photos?" Kenshin asked.   
  
Soujiro shook his head. "Not yet."   
  
"I don't suppose you are familiar with the layout of a battleship?"  
  
"Um...vaguely."   
  
Kenshin sighed. "I suppose that's better than not at all."   
  
"SHH!" Soujiro grabbed Kenshin's sleeve, and they both stopped. Behind them, Kamatari Honjo stopped as well. "I thought I heard something."   
  
They listened for a moment, but heard nothing.   
  
Kenshin shook his head. "Come on, we're wasting time."   
  
Kenshin began to move away but Soujiro shook his head. "There it is again."   
  
They listened intently. It was dark and cold, the ship was old and full of creaks and groans...but there was a different noise.  
  
A cry.   
  
"Officer Honjo, do you have an extra flashlight?"  
  
"Yeah." Kamatari quite literally swam forward and handed Soujiro the flashlight. Soujiro proceeded to move past Kenshin and take the lead.   
  
"It sounded like it was coming from...over here." He stopped when he came to a junction, where he had a choice of turning left or right. He chose right, a passage even darker than the rest.   
  
"Kaoru? Miss Kamiya, can you hear us?"   
  
There was a moan.   
  
Soujiro, Kenshin and Kamatari continued down the passageway.   
  
"This is getting -really- creepy." Kamatari observed.   
  
Kenshin rolled his eyes. "Very observant of you, Officer."   
  
They came to another junction of passageways.   
  
"Miss Kamiya?" Soujiro shouted and shone his flashlight down the passageway in front of them and to their right.   
  
There was another moan, and it was coming from the left. Soujiro quickly turned and began to move down the passageway...until, finally, his flashlight illuminated a figure up ahead.   
  
Sure enough, it was Kaoru.   
  
She looked half-dead, her wrists were handcuffed to pipes over her head.   
  
"Where would Enishi get handcuffs?" Soujiro asked as he studied the situation, trying to think of a way to free her.   
  
"Magic stores sell them for tricks. But they work just as well as any police-issue pair." Kenshin said.   
  
Kaoru's eyes cracked open as Soujiro felt her pulse. "She's not doing too well."   
  
He looked back up to the handcuffs.   
  
He had an idea.   
  
"Stay with her." He said to Kenshin and Kamatari.  
  
"Where are you going?" Kenshin asked.   
  
"They should have an axe down here somewhere, for safety. I'll be back in a minute."   
  
(A/N Those of you who have seen the movie Titanic may remember that Rose ran and got an axe (that was kept next to a fire hose) to free Jack when he was handcuffed in that room. I have no idea whether a naval battleship would have one, but oh well. It's my fic.)  
  
Soujiro sighed as he looked along the walls of the passageways. It had been over a minute. Way over a minute. But it -had- to be down here -somewhere-.   
  
Suddenly a shot rang through the ship.   
  
Soujiro stopped.   
  
Rivets busting?   
  
Then there was another shot. And another, followed by a cry.  
  
Gunshots.   
  
What the hell was going on now?   
  
Soujiro sighed and decided to continue looking for the axe. He turned down another passage. And another. And another. Then he came to another stairwell.   
  
And the axe.   
  
Kenshin and Kamatari pulled their guns when they heard someone approaching. They had heard the gunshots.   
  
Someone rounded the corner with a flashlight, shining it right in their eyes.  
  
"Drop the guns." Said a woman's voice.   
  
Kenshin recognized the voice. "Miss Yukishiro..."  
  
"No! Don't talk. Just drop the guns!"  
  
"Miss Yukishiro..."  
  
"It's all her fault! None of this would have happened if it weren't for HER!" Tomoe sobbed as she moved closer. "Because of HER my brother will be in jail the rest of his life." Her voice cracked as she blinked back tears. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Now drop the guns!"   
  
They heard someone else approaching.  
  
Soujiro.  
  
Kenshin was about to shout a warning to him as he rounded the corner, but Tomoe swiveled around and shot twice.   
  
There was a splash, and Kenshin could see Soujiro's flashlight was now underwater, but he couldn't see Soujiro.   
  
Tomoe turned back to Kenshin and Kamatari. "Drop them. Now. Or I'll shoot the two of you just like I did the other three."  
  
Still, neither made a move.   
  
Tomoe pulled the trigger, grazing Kamatari, who immediately drop his gun. She pointed hers back to Kenshin. "You're next."   
  
Suddenly there was a splashing sound and a muffled cry; Tomoe dropped the flashlight, and presumably the gun.  
  
He shined his flashlight at the source of the noise, and was all too pleased to see Soujiro holding Tomoe in a headlock. He was soaking wet and bleeding from his left shoulder, but he wasn't letting go of her. He looked up at Kenshin.   
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Kenshin nodded. "Yeah, fine. Where's the axe?"   
  
"I dropped it with the flashlight."  
  
Kenshin handed Kamatari his flashlight and headed over to where Soujiro's was under water. He took a breath and went under, feeling around blindly. He felt the floor, he felt the flashlight...but no axe.  
  
He came back up and took another breath. "How close to the flashlight did it drop?" He asked Soujiro.  
  
"I don't know. It was pretty heavy, I imagine it would have dropped nearby."   
  
Kenshin sighed, took another deep breath, and went back under. The floor, the flashlight, more floor...and a handle. He felt up the handle, just to make sure it was the axe. Sure enough, there was the blade. He grabbed it and headed back up.   
  
"I found it." He said as he headed back toward Kaoru. Of course, just because he found it didn't mean he knew how to use it.   
  
He stopped in front of Kaoru and closed his eyes, took a deep breath, raised the axe, prayed he didn't chop off her hand...and swung.  
  
Yumi stood in the kitchen by the coffeepot, drumming her fingers on the counter, eyeing the phone nervously. She was so scared that someday, when Soujiro didn't return home, the phone would ring, the voice on the other line would say 'Missus Seta, we regret to inform you that your husband has been in an accident...'  
  
He said he would be home soon when he left the dock around seven the night before. She had lain awake all night waiting for him, worrying about him, praying he was alright.   
  
It was nine thirty the next morning and she still had not heard from him.   
  
She sighed as the percolator's drip came to a stop, and poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip and looked at the clock. Nine thirty three.   
  
Her stomach lurched as she heard the familiar sound of a key turning in the front door. She set her mug down on the counter and walked in to the living room in time to see Soujiro walk through the front door and close it behind him.  
  
His left arm was in a sling and his shoulder bandaged, his shirt was draped over his shoulders, he was soaking wet, but he was alive and home.  
  
Yumi ran forward and wrapped her arms around him, succeeding in hitting his shoulder.   
  
"OWW!!"  
  
She quickly pulled back. "Oh, I'm sorry. What happened?"   
  
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I was shot."  
  
"How?"  
  
"By a gun."   
  
Yumi rolled her eyes. "I get that." She stopped and sniffed. "You smell like seaweed. What happened last night?"   
  
"We found Kaoru!"  
  
"Oh, how wonderful! Is she alright?"  
  
"Eh, she will be."  
  
Yumi smiled. "So how did you get shot? Is it bad?"  
  
He shook his head. "Naw, not that bad. Not as bad as when Shishio shot me. Well, we had to drop the charges against Tomoe to get her to testify against Enishi, so she was roaming around free. I guess she really did know where Kaoru was, but where she learned to fake a polygraph I have no idea. I guess she had a grudge against Kaoru, I don't know whether she intended to kill her or what, but she encountered us. She shot the three Officers that were with us as well as me. I managed to get the gun away from her before she shot the lieutenant. She's been arrested and charged as an accessory. With any luck, she'll be convicted."   
  
"And Kaoru?"  
  
"I don't know what will happen to her. She might be put back in to foster care until she's eighteen. But, I guess we have to be thankful for Enishi. If he hadn't have sent those pictures, I doubt anyone would have found Kaoru."   
  
Yumi shook her head in amazement. Soujiro kissed her cheek.  
  
"I need a shower."  
  
"Yeah, so do I now that you've got seawater all over me."  
  
(A/N I don't know why I'm including this next scene. It's so completely sappy. I guess I just really wanted to end it with this song, and I couldn't think of any better way. I apologize for all the sap, folks.)  
  
Yumi was almost asleep when she realized her husband was humming.  
  
Humming!  
  
In a way it was sweet, since he was probably humming to her, but it was still odd. Soujiro did not strike you as the type of person who would hum. But Yumi smiled nonetheless. She recognized the song. It was a lullaby. Probably the only one he knew, for it was the only one he would hum. (Yes, she had heard him hum a few other times, and each time it struck her as odd.) She turned slightly to look at her husband. He had his eyes closed but she knew he was awake, his injured arm was resting lightly on her waist. She smiled and closed her eyes.  
  
- go to sleep little babe  
  
go to sleep little babe  
  
your momma's gone away and your daddy's gonna stay  
  
didn't leave nobody but the baby  
  
go to sleep little babe  
  
go to sleep little babe  
  
everybody's gone in the cotton and the corn  
  
didn't leave nobody but the baby  
  
you're a sweet little babe  
  
you're a sweet little babe  
  
honey in the rock and the sugar don't stop  
  
gonna bring a bottle to the baby  
  
don't you weep pretty babe  
  
don't you weep pretty babe  
  
she's long gone with her red shoes on  
  
gonna need another loving babe  
  
go to sleep little babe  
  
go to sleep little babe  
  
you and me and the devil makes three  
  
don't need no other lovin' babe  
  
go to sleep little babe  
  
go to sleep little babe  
  
come lay bones on the alabaster stones  
  
and be my everlovin baby-  
  
The End 


End file.
